Man charged in four Kansas deaths; child's body missing

Officers escort murder suspect Kyle Flack to the Franklin County Courthouse from the Franklin Detention Center, Friday, May 10, 2013, in Ottawa, Kan. Flack was charged Friday in the deaths of a woman and two men whose bodies were found at an eastern Kansas farm home earlier this week, according to a criminal complaint. (AP Photo/The Kansas City Star, Allison Long)

OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — A 27-year-old convicted felon was charged Friday in the deaths of a woman and two men whose bodies were found at an eastern Kansas farm home earlier this week, according to a criminal complaint.

Kyle Flack also faces charges in the death of the woman’s young daughter, whose body hasn’t been found. Authorities say they presume 18-month-old Lana Leigh Bailey is dead based on evidence they have and that the search for her remains continues.

Flack was charged with capital murder in the deaths of 21-year-old Kaylie Bailey, Lana Bailey and 30-year-old Andrew Stout, according to the complaint. He was charged with multiple counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of those three as well as 31-year-old Steven White.

Franklin County Attorney Stephen Hunting said prosecutors haven’t determined whether to seek the death penalty in the case. Hunting said the decision is not something that authorities “take lightly.”

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Flack also faces charges of rape and criminal possession of a firearm. The rape charge is related to Kaylie Bailey.

He remained jailed on a $10 million bond Friday after an afternoon court appearance in which he was formally charged. Another hearing is scheduled for next week. He was appointed an attorney, Ronald Evans of Topeka, in court. Evans’ office was closed late Friday afternoon.

Flack was arrested earlier this week and was being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the deaths. He previously served prison time for shooting a former employer in 2005 after being fired, according to court records.

Authorities still are not commenting on a motive in the deaths. Hunting said doing so “could jeopardize” the ongoing investigation.

The body of Kaylie Bailey of Olathe was discovered Monday at the Ottawa-area farm where she had gone to drop off her daughter with her friend, Stout.

Friends who went to check on Stout found Bailey’s body and called 911. Authorities later found Stout’s body as well as White’s. Stout and White both lived on the farm.

White was killed between April 20 and April 28, and Bailey, her daughter and Stout were killed between April 28 and Monday, according to the criminal complaint.

Authorities haven’t said how they died. Hunting would only say that a firearm was used against all the victims, but didn’t elaborate on whether that meant they all were fatally shot.

Crews on foot, horseback and all-terrain vehicles resumed their search Friday for 18-month-old Lana Bailey. A dive team also searched a pond on the farm.

Franklin County Sheriff Jeffrey Richards has said the girl is presumed dead, but has not released any details. On Friday, he said more than 150 investigators were following up on leads.

“We plan to continue until we get a full resolution to this case,” Richards said.